Shloka 10
Aṣṭāvakra’s Visit to Kubera: Hospitality, Temptation, and the Ethics of Restraint (अष्टावक्र-वैश्रवणोपाख्यानम्)
मुक्तश्नास्मि ततः पापैस्ततो दुःखविनाशन: । आह मां त्रिपुरघ्नो वै यशस्तेडग्रयं भविष्यति
muktaśnāsmī tataḥ pāpais tato duḥkhavināśanaḥ | āha māṃ tripuraghno vai yaśas te 'gryaṃ bhaviṣyati ||
Then I became one who eats freely—released from sin—and a destroyer of suffering. Tripuraghna (Śiva), indeed, spoke to me: “Your fame will become foremost.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Moral and spiritual purification is portrayed as leading to inner freedom and the capacity to overcome suffering; divine approval (here, Śiva’s blessing) is linked to ethical transformation and results in enduring renown.
The speaker reports a change of state—being freed from sins and becoming a remover of suffering—followed by a direct utterance from Tripuraghna (Śiva), who foretells that the addressee’s fame will become preeminent.